> ... Horizon would be replaced with a new, cloud-based solution ...
That'd fix it then.
('I can see clearly now, the clouds have come').
___________
On 25/4/21 12:00 am, Stephen Loosley wrote:
> UK: Bad software sent postal workers to jail, because no one wanted to admit
> it could be wrong
>
> Data from the Horizon system was used to prove they stole money — but they
> didn't
>
> By Mitchell Clark Apr 23, 2021, 6:05pm EDT
> https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/23/22399721/uk-post-office-software-bug-criminal-convictions-overturned
>
>
> For the past 20 years UK Post Office employees have been dealing with a piece
> of software called Horizon, which had a fatal flaw: bugs that made it look
> like employees stole tens of thousands of British pounds. This led to some
> local postmasters being convicted of crimes, even being sent to prison,
> because the Post Office doggedly insisted the software could be trusted.
>
> After fighting for decades, 39 people are finally having their convictions
> overturned, after what is reportedly the largest miscarriage of justice that
> the UK has ever seen.
>
> The impact on these employees has been vast: according to the BBC, some have
> lost marriages or time with their children. Talking to the BBC, Janet Skinner
> said that she was taken away from her two kids for nine months when she was
> imprisoned, after the software showed a £59,000 shortfall. She also says she
> lost a job offer because of her criminal conviction. The time she and others
> like her spent in jail can’t be bought back, and it happened because software
> was taken at its word.
>
> According to the BBC, another woman, who swore she was innocent, was sent to
> prison for theft while she was pregnant. One man reportedly died by suicide
> after the computer system showed that he had lost almost £100,000. Within a
> few months, his replacement also faced losses due to discrepancies from the
> software.
>
> THE UK’S PRIME MINISTER WEIGHED IN, CALLING THE ORIGINAL CONVICTIONS “AN
> APPALLING INJUSTICE”
>
> Horizon was made by Japanese company Fujitsu, and information from it was
> used to prosecute 736 Post Office employees between 2000 and 2014, some of
> whom ended up going to jail. Bugs in the system would cause it to report that
> accounts that were under the employees’ control were short — the BBC has
> reported that some employees even tried to close the gap by remortgaging
> their homes, or using their own money.
>
> It does seem like the nightmare for the employees may be coming to an end.
> The 39 who had their convictions overturned are following another six who
> were cleared of wrongdoing back in December. The Post Office has also been
> working on financially compensating other employees who were caught up by the
> software.
>
> In 2019 the Post Office settled with 555 claimants and paid damages to them,
> and it’s also set up a system to repay other affected employees. So far,
> according to the BBC, more than 2,400 claims have been made.
>
> Earlier this month the chief executive of the Post Office said that Horizon
> would be replaced with a new, cloud-based solution. In the same speech, he
> said that the Post Office would work with the government to compensate the
> employees who were affected by Horizon’s inaccuracies.
>
> The UK’s prime minister Boris Johnson also weighed in today, calling the
> original convictions “an appalling injustice.”
>
> Some employees seem happy with just a monetary settlement and their names
> being cleared. But there is also now a campaign group calling for a full
> public inquiry, and some of the people whose names were cleared today have
> called for those in charge to be held responsible.
>
> The BBC reported that the Post Office argued the errors couldn’t have been be
> the fault of the computer system — despite knowing that wasn’t true. There is
> evidence that the Post Office’s legal department was aware that the software
> could produce inaccurate results, even before some of the convictions were
> made.
>
> According to the BBC, one of the representatives for the Post Office workers
> said that the post office “readily accepted the loss of life, liberty and
> sanity for many ordinary people” in its “pursuit of reputation and profit.”
>
> --
>
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>
--
Roger Clarke mailto:[email protected]
T: +61 2 6288 6916 http://www.xamax.com.au http://www.rogerclarke.com
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science Australian National University
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